Tuesday, December 18, 2007

The Axes

Here are the brushes I have been using. Some are handmade, some made in China(probably by hand). I generally use 2-3 brushes for all the work. Some folks may think that good painting is all in the brush, and there is truth to that. I obviously have my favorite brushes but once I get real, real going, say, day two of my decorating week, I can usually get a lot of different shapes and line quality out of the same brush. For me, it's a combination of knowing where the brush lands on the pot, the wrist motion of a certain brush mark, and the speed at which the mark is delivered. The material being painted also makes a big difference. Since my kiln is a 15 minute drive from the shop, I bisque fire everything to cone 08. Leather hard clay is great to paint on, but I paint everything on bisque. I also "partition" my tasks. I will make pots for 3 weeks, then spend a week decorating and glazing. I like the momentum I get from focusing in on throwing form and then exploiting surface with pattern. I try really hard to see the form and line of a pot and I think the patterns I use are even more successful on a good form. I tend to paint patterns on most pots, but sometimes a pot has such a nice line that I leave it alone. I once heard the phrase, "decorate the dogs", and if that were the case for me I guess I make a lot of dogs. My intent is for the pattern to enhance the pot and give it an added layer of complexity or subtlety.